Automatic mail-delivery apparatus.



J. SAULESBERRY.

AUTOMATIG MAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIO! nun APR. 6. 1908.

903,009. Patented Nov. 3, 1908-.

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J. SAULESBBRRY.

AUTOMATIC mu DELIVERY APPARATUS.

' APPLIOATIQH FILED APB-6. 1908.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

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J. SAULESBERRY. AUTOMATIC HAIL DELIVERY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APB-.6. 1908. I

Patented Nov.3, 1908.

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outrun STATES PATEI'JT orator.

JOSEPH SAULESBERRY, OF EAST PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC MAIL-DELIVERY APPARATUS.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Josnrn SAULESBERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Peoria, in the county of Taze well, State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Mail-Delivery Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The present invention has reference to antomatic mail-deliveryapparatus, and it aims, primarily, to provide an exceedingly-simple,inexpensive, and etiective autonuitically-operated apparatus, fordelivering mail from a central station to the various sub-stations alonga delivery route, the apparatus being of that general type whichincludes an elevated track and a traveling motor-driven car suspendedtherefrom.

More especially, the invention resides in the provision of anautomatically-operated brake mechanism which is fully set as the carreaches each successiv station along the route, and is partially set asthe car reaches the top of each downgrade. the car being completelystopped in the former, instance and its speed materially decreased inthe latter instance. To this end. there is mounted upon the shaft whichcarries the traction wheel a brake-wheel with which engages a brake-shoesecured to a lever automatically operated by its contact with thelateral brake arms secured to certain of the poles which support thetrack, the invention residing in this respect; in the particularconstruction of the brake arms. and the brake-lever, and in the specificdevices employed for returning the latter to its normal position fromwhich it has been shifted by its contact with said brake-arms.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts or features aredesignated by the same reference numerals in the several views.

Of the said drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the completeinvention. the brake arms at the top and bottom of the down grade, andat one of the stations being illustrated. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a, longitudinal section through the car. Fig. 4 is arear elevation of the car. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 8, 1908.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Serial No. 425,537.

brake-lever. Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating the position assumedby the brake lever subsequent to its actuation by the brake arm. Fig. 7is an enlarged detail view of one of the brake arms.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates an elevatedsteel track rail from which the traveling car, generally indicated bythe numeral 2. is suspended, said rail beingsupported bylaterally-projecting brackets 3 secured to the poles 4. located atintervals along the road.

The car, which is preferably constructed of aluminum, and is rectangularin crosssection, has mounted upon its roof, towards ach end thereof, avertical bracket 5 whose upper end carries a lateral pin upon which oneof the grooved supporting wheels 6 is rotatably mounted, these wheelstraveling upon the upper face of the rail, as shown. The brackets aresecured to the car in such a manner as to be capable of rotation ineither direction, thus permitting the supporting wheels to accommodatethemselves to the various curves in the track.

The car is propelled by a spring motor 7 disposed in an interiorcompartment formed in the upper portion of the car, the motor shaft 8having secured thereto a gear 9 which meshes with a smaller gear 10secured to a shaft- 11, journaled in openings formed in the side wallsof the compartment. The shaft- 11 is further provided with. a large gear12 which meshes with a small gear 13 carried by a secondinteriorly-located shaft 14, the last-mentioned shaft carrying. inaddition, a gear 15 similar to the gear 12. The gear 15 meshes. in turn,with a gear 16 secured to a shaft 17 journaled inlongitudinally-arranged spaced brackets 18, mounted upon the roof of thecar, the roof being slotted between said brackets, to permit theintcrmeshing of said gears. The gear 18 which meshes with the dependingteeth 19 formed upon the under face of the rail 1, thus serves as themain traction or drive wheel.

The shaft, 17 has secured thereto a friction wheel 20 whose periphery isengaged at certain predetermined periods by the shoe 21 fastened to thefree end of the lower arm of an angular brake lever 2 pivoted at itsapex between a pair of spaced vertical ears 23 mounted upon the car roofrearwardly of the brake-wheel, the upper arm of said lever beingconnected by a rearwardly-extending 'linl' A with the lower end of areleasing lever 25, pivoted between its ends to a bracket 26 mountedupon the car roof. The brake-shoe normally held out of contact with thebrake-wheel by means of an expansible coil-spring 27 supported upon abracket 26 which is likewise mounted upon the car roof, the spring beingsecured at one end thereto and at the other end to the apex of theangular brake-lever .22 at a point slightly above and to the rear of thepivotpoint of said lever, said apex having an approximately circularshape. The tension of said spring is therefore exerted upon the upperarm of the brake-lever, as will be apparent. the shoe calried by thel0We1'.211'111 thereof being thus held normally out of contact with thefriction wheel. (See Fig.

As originally stated, the brake lever is operated by the brake armscarried by the poles located at the various sub-stations and at the topand bottom of each down-grade in the track, the arm carried by eachstation pole, (hereinafter termed station-pole arms being generallydesignated by the numeral 29, and those carried by the poles at the topand bottom of the grades (hereinafter termed grade-pole arms by thenumerals 30 and 31 respectively. Each arm, as shown in Fig. 7, comprisesa triangular or wedgeshaped block formed of wood or metal, as preferred,and a rod 33 having its outer end bent downwardly, as indicated by thenumeral 3i, the base of the block being secured to the free end of saidbent portion, while its apex is directed towards the approaching car.Each rod 33 is secured at its inner end to a supporting bracket 35 whichis similar to the brackets 3 and is likewise attached to the pole. Thestation-pole arms are pivotally secured to their supporting brackets insuch a manner as to permit of their being raised and lowered ashereinafter described. The grade-pole arms may likewise be pivoted totheir supporting brackets, or may he rigidly secured thereto, aspreferred.

The brake and releasing levers 22 and 25 are provided at their upperends with integral laterally-proiecting fingers 36 and 37 which areadapted to contact respectively, with the under faces of the blocks 32of the grade-pole arms 30 and 31. These fingers, however, extend inopposite directions, the finger 36 extending towards the track 1 and thefinger 37 away from said track. The last-mentioned blocks lie directlyin the paths of movement of said fingers, the block car ried by the armt the bottom of the grade being, for this reason, disposed at a greaterdistance from the corresponding pole than that carried by the arm at thetop of the grade, as will be understood. It will therefore be apparentfrom the foregoing that as the car passes by the pole at the top of thecontac with the friction wheel.

grade the actuating finger 36 formed upon the lever 22 will contact withthe inclined under face of the block, whereby the upper arm of saidlever wi l be swung slightly rearwardlyg its lower arm movingcorrespondingly forwardly, thus moving the brake-shoe sutliciently intocontact with the frictionwheel to reduce the speed of rotation thercot'but without stopping the car. As the lever is rocked, the point at whichthe forward end of the spring 27 is connected to the apex ot'said leverpasses below the plane of the pivot or axis of the lever, thus shiftingthe tension of the spring towards the lower arm of the lever andmaintaining the brake-shoe in the partially-set position abovedescribed. The car will thus travel down the grade at a comparativelylow speed. On reaching the bottom of the grade, the finger 37 of thereleasing lever 25 will contact with the urder face of the block carriedby the bottom pole arm, whereupon said lever will be rocked upon itspivot. in consequence of which the brake lever will be returned to itsnormal position and the brake-shoe withdrawn from The car will thencontinue its travel at its original speed. lVhen the car reaches thefirst station along the route. the brake-lever will be again actuated,this time by the brakeblock carried by the arm secured to the stationpole, said block likewise lying in the path of the finger 36, and, inconsequence, out of that of the finger This block, however, is disposedfar enough below the blocks carried by the grade-pole arms to rock thebrake-lever to an extent suthcient to completely set the brake-shoe andbring the car to a stop. \Vhen the mail has been removed from the properlock-boxes with which the car is provided, the brake-block is then swungupwardly upon its pivotout of contact with the finger 36, and thereleasing lever then actuated manually to return the brake-lever to itsnormal position. The car will then resume its travel.

It will be understood that upon each moveof the brake-lever, the tensionof the expansible coil-spring is shifted to one side or the other of theaxis upon which the lever swings, thus holding said lever in thecorrespoudingposition, until its subsequent actuation either by thereleasing lever or by one of the brake blocks.

Further description of the invention and its operation is deemedunnecessary in iew of the foregoing.

'hat is claimed is:

1. The combination, with. an elevated track and a series of poles forsupporting the same, of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealoug: means for propelling the car: a brake mechanismoperatively connected with said propelling means; a releasing mechanismo xu-atively connected with the brake mechanism; means arried one of thepoles and arra ged for engagement with one element of the brake mochaism, for setting the brake; and means carried by another of the polesand arranged for engagement with the releasing mechanism, for releasingthe brake.

i. The combination, with an elevated track and a series of poles forsupporting the same. of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; means for propelling the. ca a brake mechanismoperativelv connected with the propelling means and including a brakelever: means for normally holding said lever in inoperative position: areleasing lever operatively connected with the brake lever; meanscarried by one of the poles and arranged for engagement with the brakelever, to move the latter into operative position; and means earned byanother of the poles and arranged for engagement with the releasinglever, for actuating the same, to return the brake lever to inoperativeposition.

The combination, with an elevated track, and a series of poles forsupporting the same. of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; means for propelling the car; a brake mechanismoperaiively connected with said propelling Ella and including a brakelever having a laterally-bent upper end; means for normally holding saidlever in inoperative position; a releasing lever operatively connectedwith the brake lever and provided with a laterally-bent upper end; abrake arm carried b v one of the poles and provided with a memberarranged for engagement with the bent end of the brake lever, for movingthe latter into operative position; and a brake arm carried by anotherof the poles, and provided with a member arranged for enagement with thebent end of the releasing lever, for actuating the latter, for returningthe brake lever to inoperative position.

4. The combination, with an elevated track, and a series of poles forsupporting the same. of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; means for propelling the car: a brake mechanismoperativelv connected with said propelling means and including a brakelever having a laterally-bent upper end; means for normally holding saidlever in inoperative position; a releasing lever operatively connectedwith the brake lever and ha ing a laterallybent upper end extending inthe opposite direction from the bent end of the brake lever: a brake armcarried by one of the poles and provided with a wedge-shaped block lyingin the path of the bent end of the brake lever, for moving the latterinto"operative position; and a brake arm carried by another of thepoles, and provided w th a wedge-shaped block l ving in the path oftliebent end of iii' the releasing lever for actuating the latter, to returnthe brake lever to inoperative position.

5. The combination. with an elevated track, and a series of poles forsupporting the same. of :1 ca r suspended from the track and adapted totravel thorealoug: nmans'for propelling the car. said means including afriction wheel: a braice lever mounted upon the roof of the car andprovided with a shoe arranged for engagement with the friction wheel;means for normally holding said lever in inoperative position; and meanscarried by one of the poles and arranged for engagement with said lever,for actuating the latter, to move the brake shoe into engagement withthe friction wheel.

6. The combination, with an elevated track and a series oi poles forsupporting the same, of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; means for propelling the car; a friction wheel drivenby said propelling means: a brake lever mounted upon the roof of the carand provided with a laterally-bent upper end; a shoe attached to thelower end of said lever; means for normally holding said lever ininoperative position, with its shoe out of contact with the frictionwheel; and a brake arm carried by one of said poles and provided with amember located in the path of the bent-end of said lever, for moving thelatter into operative position, to bring said shoe into contact with thefriction wheel.

7. The combination, with an elevated trael: and a series of poles forsupporting the same, of a car suspended from the track, and adapted totrav el therealong; means for propelling the car; a friction wheeldriven by said propelling means; a brake lever; a shoe attached to thelower end of said lever and movable therewith upon the actuation of thelever, into and out of engagement with the friction wheel; means fornormally holding said lever in inoperative position; a releasing leveroperatively connected with the brake lever; means carried by one of thepoles and arranged for engagement with the brake lever, for moving thelatter into operative position to engage said shoe with said frictionwheel; and means carried by another of the poles and arranged forengagcment with the releasing lever, for actuating the same, to returnthe brake lever to inope 'ative position.

S.v The combination, with an elevated track and a series of poles forsupporting the same, of a carsuspcnded from the track and adaptedtotravel therealong; a shaft mounted upon the root of the car: a tractionwheel mounted upon said shaft and arranged for engagement with thetrack; means for rotating aid shaft, to cited: the propulsion of thecar; a friction wheel secured to said shaft; a brake lever mounted uponthe roof of the car; a shoe attached to the lower end of the lever andmovable into and out of engagement with the friction wheel when saidlever. is actuated; means for normally holding said lever in inoperativeposition: and means carried by one of the poles and arranged forengagement with said lever, for moving the same into operative position.

9. The combination, with an elevated track. and a series of poles forsupporting the same, of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; a shaft mounted upon the roof of the car; a tractionwheel mounted upon said shaft and arranged for engagement with thetrack; means for rotating said shaft, to effect the propulsion of thecar; a friction wheel secured to said shaft; a brake lever mounted uponthe roof of th car; a shoe attached to the lower end of the lever andmovable into and out of engagement with the friction wheel when saidlever is actuated; means for normally holding said lever in inoperativeposition; a releasing lever mounted upon the roof of the car andoperatively connected with the brake lever; means carried by one of thepoles and arranged for engagement with said brake lever, for moving thesame into operative position; and means carried by another of the polesand arranged for engagement with the releasing lever, to actuate thesame, for returning the brake lever to inoperative position.

1.0. The combination, with an elevated track, and means for supportingthe same, of a car suspended from the track and adapted to travel alongthe same; means for propelling the car; a brake lever operativelyconnected with said propelling means; a releasing lever operativelyconnected with said brake lever; and separate means for actuating saidlevers automatically, in succession, to apply the brake and subsequentlyrelease it.

11. The combination, with an elevated track including a down grade, andmeans for siipporting the track, of a car suspended from said track andadapted to travel therealong: means for propelling the car; a brake llever operatively connected with said propelling means; a releasinglever operatively connected with the brake lever; means located at thetop of the grade and arranged for engagement with the brake lever forsetting tne brake: and means located at the bottom of the grade andarranged for engagement with the releasing lever for releasing thebrake.

12. The combination, with an elevated track including a down grade, anda series of poles for supporting the track, of a car suspended from thetrack and adapted to travel therealong; means for propelling the car; abrake lever operatively connected with said propelling means; areleasing lever operatively connected with the brake lever; a brake armcarried by the pole at the top of the grade and arranged for engagementwith the brake lever, for setting the brake; and a brake arm carried bythe pole at the bottom of the grade and arranged for engagement with thereleasing lever for releasing the brake. v

13. The combination, with an elevated toothed track and means forsupporting the same, of a car suspended from the track and adapted totravel therealong; a shaft mounted upon the roof of the car; a tractiongear carried by said shaft and arranged for mesh with the teeth of thetrack; a friction wheel carried by said shaft; means for rotating saidshaft, to effect the propulsion of the car; a brake lever mounted uponthe roof of the car; a shoe attached to the lower end of the lever andmovable into and out of engagement with the friction wheel when saidiever is actuated; means for normally holding said lever in inoperativeposition: and means carried by one of the poles and arranged forengagement with said lever, for moving the same into operative position.

In testimony whereof, I atlix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSEPH SAULESBERRY.

\Vitnesses:

Geonou S. Rmonnmonnren, PETER C. KEIL.

